March Pump 815-PL Not Working

[aircrewjoe]

So I have read extensively on issues with this pump and i have removed the head cleaned it primed it and still when I plug it in the pump just makes noise gets hot and doesn't turn. When unplugged it appears to spin freely but plug it in an just buzzing. I could really use some help on this if possible.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Are you running it dry? Will water pass through the head freely? Is it used? Has it been oiled?

 

[aircrewjoe]

No im not running it dry, it does the same thing with the head installed on not.
It is used and came with a setup i bought a few days ago.
I did oil it and it spins freely until power is applied.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

No im not running it dry, it does the same thing with the head installed on not.
It is used and came with a setup i bought a few days ago.
I did oil it and it spins freely until power is applied.

Its noisey without the head?

I forget if the impeller is removeable. Have you tried taking the impeller out and cleaning the magnet cavity?

 

[BlkWater_brewer]

If it spins free when off and is locked up when turned on. Sorry to say this pump is most likely toast. How old is it? To replace the motor is more expensive than replacing the whole thing. Sorry to be negative, but my experience has been that these pumps are more expensive to fix than they are worth. Unless you are just replacing the pump headThat said, the only other thing to check is that nothing is binding. Try loosening the mounting bolts slightly and power on for a few seconds to see if it spins. My gut says that it is dead though.

Just saw that it was used - guaranteed it's a paperweight.

 

[ubnserved]

Not really sure but maybe the bushings are worn...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H8W9B44/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

try this but be sure to read the description carefully as it sounds like the product was changed in 2011 and you want to make sure that you order the right parts. This listing has part numbers and descriptions of older models.
Sounds like a magnetically driven impeller. If that is the case even a small amount of play would allow the impeller to bind.

 

[mabrungard]

It's not dead. The impeller is binding on the shaft. I've experienced this multiple times with my 815. Sugars from the wort will 'plate' onto the stainless steel shaft and then the impeller will not turn as freely on the shaft. It only takes a few minutes of pump operation for this sugar plating to occur.

Correcting this requires a full disassembly of the pump head and the sugar deposit needs to be scraped off the shaft. It's just a few minute procedure.

The secret to avoiding this problem in the future is to NEVER turn off the pump when it has been pumping typical wort. The pump has to be flushed and operated with plain hot water so that it will dissolve the sugar on the shaft before you shut it off. Since this is a centrifugal pump, it is OK to shut off the discharge of the pump while the motor is running. The pump will just spin the liquid in the pump head without harm. If you listen closely, you should notice that the pump speed actually INCREASES when you fully close the discharge valve. This is because the load on the pump actually decreases. You aren't hurting the pump by closing the discharge valve.

So, by keeping the pump operating throughout the brewing operations, you avoid the impeller seizing on the shaft. After pumping the sugary wort, run hot water through the pump and that will help remove that plated sugar so that you won't have to disassemble the pump head again.

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Aircrewjoe, from the sounds of it......i think the motor may be damaged.....what it sounds like is it may have been dropped or something fell on it and tweaked the motor alignment off a bit.....when there no power it spins freely...when you put power too it the rotor is too close to one side of the field coils and its getting locked up...they usually make a humming noise. If you want to send us the pump assembly back and have Wayne go through it you are welcome to do so...we don't charge for looking And Wayne likes to take care of the beer brewers as best he can. Id say give Wayne a call on Wednesday since he is driving up from Florida right now...(we are not working at 100% capacity yet from the new years) and he'll give you an RGA# for tracking purposes and see what he comes up with. Ive even had some good luck fixing a lot of these motors in the past.

 

[reynolds5520]

Aircrewjoe, from the sounds of it......i think the motor may be damaged.....what it sounds like is it may have been dropped or something fell on it and tweaked the motor alignment off a

As usual, Walter has good information.

A friend with a nano scale commercial brewery mentioned a problem he was having with one of his pumps and I offered to have a look. When I got there I found that they have a habit of dropping them and three were behaving just like what aircrewjoe described. Close examination located dents in the motor housings at the back plate that I was able to tweak back into round. All three were working properly again when I left.

Hopefully they took my advice and mounted them with a cage to prevent future drops from damaging them further.

 

[aircrewjoe]

Aircrewjoe, from the sounds of it......i think the motor may be damaged.....what it sounds like is it may have been dropped or something fell on it and tweaked the motor alignment off a bit.....when there no power it spins freely...when you put power too it the rotor is too close to one side of the field coils and its getting locked up...they usually make a humming noise. If you want to send us the pump assembly back and have Wayne go through it you are welcome to do so...we don't charge for looking And Wayne likes to take care of the beer brewers as best he can. Id say give Wayne a call on Wednesday since he is driving up from Florida right now...(we are not working at 100% capacity yet from the new years) and he'll give you an RGA# for tracking purposes and see what he comes up with. Ive even had some good luck fixing a lot of these motors in the past.

Walter, thankyou so much for the info and from what you have said that is definitely what i think the problem is. Could you PM me the phone number for Wayne or is it the number on the pump? I would be glad to send it in.